THE ROAD TO ACCOUNTABILITY: MEDICAL COUNCIL INDICTS GYNESCOPE SPECIALIST HOSPITAL FOR NEGLIGENCE

BY JUSTICE U. JOHN

MEDICAL AND DENTAL PRACTITIONERS’ INVESTIGATION PANEL (MDPIP) ESTABLISHES A PRIMA FACIE CASE OF MISCONDUCT IN A PROFESSIONAL RESPECT AGAINST DR. ALIYU JOSEPH YAHAYA, THE RESPONSIBLE MEDICAL OFFICER WHO MANAGED THE LATE MRS AKUDO LOVELYN JOHN

Ten months ago, the life of my dearly beloved wife, Akudo Lovelyn John was cut short following childbirth at Gynescope Specialist Hospital, Ikate, Lekki, Lagos State. She was not allowed an opportunity to fight for her life when the Responsible Medical Officer, Dr Aliyu Joseph Yahaya (the “Consultant”), refused and failed to timely transfer her or urgently summon surgical intervention to rescue her; and she lost her life from haemorrhagic shock as a result of massive colorectal haemorrhage while in the care of the Consultant. [Let me break it down. “Haemorrhage” in itself is severe blood loss. “Colorectal Haemorrhage” is that severe blood loss happening around the colon and rectum of the human body. The loss of blood was massive as noted in the post-mortem report, observed and recorded; unchecked, it ultimately led to a shock and fatality].

The haemodynamics of my late wife (comprising blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation & pulse) progressively deteriorated over a long period of hours as recorded in the Vital Signs Chart released by the facility, yet the Consultant ignored these obvious features. Even my pleas and entreaties fell on deaf ears.

More bewildering is that in addition to the haemodynamic features (which by the way, before the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Investigation Panel “the Panel”, the said Consultant admitted – if not checked would ultimately lead to fatality), the passage of melena stool at 8pm and later at 11pm on Wednesday 3rd December 2025 (as recorded in the Medical Case Note) was an unmistakable clinical sign of an intestinal tract bleed, which by every medical standard is an emergency. This was bluntly disregarded by the Consultant.

This above emergency required immediate surgical intervention to arrest the bleeding, which was unabated. Timely transfer or summoning a general surgeon was nonnegotiable at this point if the patient was to be offered a chance of survival. The Consultant also acknowledged that the management of intestinal tract bleed is one that is outside his purview and professional competence as an Obstetrician & Gynaecologist. Thereby placing a higher responsibility on him to act in the best interest of my late wife – immediate transfer or seek appropriate specialist.

The Consultant refused, neglected and failed to transfer or summon surgical expertise from 8pm on Wednesday, 3rd December 2025 when the signs were obvious until 3am on Thursday, 4th December 2025 when the crisis started. My late wife was only presented at Lagos Island Maternity Hospital at 3:45am on Thursday, 4th December 2025 where she was pronounced Brought in Dead. If only the Consultant had agreed to an earlier transfer. On the Lekki-Ikoyi-Victoria Island corridor, viable options existed for transfer/referral, yet none was considered by the Consultant.

A graver revelation that came to light in the course of the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Investigation Panel hearing was the administering of Furosemide 40mg on my late wife by the Consultant at 10pm on Wednesday, 3rd December 2025 at a time when her blood pressure was at the lowest 86/43 and her pulse was 124. This is a clinically absolute contraindication. Furosemide is a medication used to reduce over circulation of fluid in the body and ought not to be administered at a time when my wife had clear shortage of blood. The implication of this is a further drop in her blood pressure and worsened hypotension (low blood pressure).

You may recall that I did mention in my previous post on this subject that in the course of evacuating my wife, she fell off the stretcher. The timestamp of that fall was 3:14am – 3:17am on Thursday, 4th December, 2025. The facility’s CCTV Camera 8 located along the aisle of the third floor of the facility is the relevant camera giving that my late wife was in Suite 4. The facility withheld the material footage. Unwittingly, the facility released footage from the same Camera 8 before and after the incident (fall), making it clear that the said camera 8 was in active use during the entire period under review except that the footage was perversely doctored and the relevant portion evidencing the fall of my late wife was surreptiously removed. This issue, was raised before the MDCN/MDPIP on Tuesday 29th September 2026 and the facility owner, Dr Jude Ehiabhi Okohue said he didn’t see the need to keep that particular footage but kept others. The content of that footage is harmful to the facility hence they have sworn not to release the same. Notwithstanding, my team is determined and will use every available legal means to compel the release of the footage.

As I conclude, the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Investigation Panel at its 27th Session at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Monday, 28th September 2026 and Tuesday 29th September, 2026 established a prima facie case of misconduct in a professional respect against the Consultant, Dr Aliyu Joseph Yahaya in the management of my late wife, Mrs Akudo Lovelyn John and have now referred the said Consultant to the Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal for determination and appropriate sanctions. We now look forward to this.

It is relevant to note that both the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Investigation Panel (MDPIP) and the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Disciplinary Tribunal (MDPDT) are Statutory organs of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) established Pursuant to Section 15 of the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Act, CAP M8 2004 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria; and they both constitute the Professional Brethren of Good Repute and Competency for medical and dental practitioners – enforcing the Code of Medical Ethics in Nigeria.

CAVEAT: As you may also be aware, a Coroner Inquest is still ongoing in respect of this subject and a civil suit is underway. I am restrained from discussing the matters before the Courts. This update is relevant to the petition before the MDCN.

Thank you for your rapt attention. My family and I are grateful for all the support.

Justice U. John is a Legal Practitioner.

The views expressed in this article are entirely those of the author.

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